Why Torra Chases the Kull
"Why Torra Chases the Kull" is a traditional Ashkathi animal fable dating back to the time before the Day of Ascension. The story is a etiological myth explaining why the torra native to Larine hunt the kull, as well as why torra have promiment spots on their back. It is a well-known and often-told story on Larine and the surrounding colonies. Story Torra was the cheekiest being in the Shuulua. Far and wide, the other beings knew of Torra's willingness to get into trouble. Spoori, the biggest and oldest of the beings of the Shuulua, decided he would teach Torra a lesson. One day, when Torra was swimming among the fronds, Spoori came up to Torra. "Hello, Torra," the great Spoori boomed. "Hello, Spoori," Torra replied, eager to get where he was going. "Why are you in such a hurry? The shuulua fronds are in bloom, the sun shines into the water, and the other beings are moving at their own pace." Torra replied, "I must be getting home. It is time for my dinner." Spoori laughed, a jolly ho-ho-ho rumbling through the fronds. "Of course, food is important," the great Spoori boomed. "But I have a problem that I believe you can fix. My spots are starting to spread. I see that you have no spots. So I must ask if you know a way to remove spots." Torra did not know. "Very well," the great Spoori boomed. "I ask that you speak to Rala-a and tell her of my predicament," the great Spoori requested. Torra, though eager to return home, did wish to see Spoori's spots return to normal, and so he headed off to speak to Rala-a. Rala-a was resting by a rock. When Torra approached, Rala-a waved her tentacles about. "Hello, Torra," the dainty Rala-a whispered. "Hello, Rala-a," Torra replied. "Spoori has a problem. His spots are spreading. Do you know a way to remove Spoori's extra spots?" Rala-a puzzled over this mystery, but she did not have the answer. "Speak to Kull. He is a very smart one," the dainty Rala-a advised. Torra sighed but agreed, so he went to Kull. Kull was swimming with his brothers and sisters when Torra approached. "Hello, Torra," the tiny Kull peeped. "Hello, Kull," Torra replied hungrily. If he did not get an answer from Kull soon, he would consider having dinner now. "Spoori's spots are spreading. Do you know of a way to remove spots?" Kull, much like Rala-a, was in on Spoori's little joke, and so he had a cheeky idea of his own. "We know of the way to remove Spoori's spots. But first you must help us. Gaaka-den is terrorizing us. Can you make him stop? We shall ride on your back to check on Gaaka-den along with you." Torra was not sure about speaking with Gaaka-den, but he agreed. Unbeknownst to Torra, however, the tiny Kull and his siblings dipped their tiny feet into blue algae, and they sat on Torra's back. As they swam towards the Gaaka, the blue algae rubbed off of Kull's feet and onto Torra's back. Finally, Torra reached the Gaaka, but as soon as he stopped, Kull and his siblings left so the Gaaka-den would not see them. He was about to ask what was wrong, why Kull and his siblings were gone, when the terrible Gaaka-den emerged from the depths. "Hello, Torra," the terrible Gaaka-den hissed. "Hello, Gaaka-den," Torra whimpered. "Is this a joke? Why have you come to me with spots, Torra? You look appetizing today, do not trifle me." Confused, Torra looked upon his back. Spots, just as blue and just as numerous as Spoori's. Spoori, Rala-a, and Kull's siblings had tricked him. In a quick gesture, Torra bolted from the Gaaka, just before Gaaka-den made a snap at the gullible Torra. From that day forward, Torra would chase down the Kull that tricked him, and who gave him the spots he still has to this day. Adaptations "Why Torra Chases the Kull" has been reprinted numerous times, as well as received numerous adaptations over the years by various Ashkathi production companies. The Haana-gani Music Hall wrote a musical adaptation of the story in 2948, which opened to mild success. Donations to the performers of the story allowed the Music Hall to expand and gave funding to various other adaptations of Ashkathi myths and legends. In 3350, the first Ashkathi animated production was created, called "Stories from the Sea". It was a compilation of various Ashkathi myths, including "Why Torra Chases the Kull". The story is animated to resemble traditional Ashkathi mural paintings, and the compilation gained critical acclaim within the Ashkathi Union for bringing the stories to the big screen. The story and all the characters were narrated by Ashkathi actor Gaani-met-Fasaaren-Tainu, and Gaani became well known for the role, allowing him to star in other Ashkathi animations and movies. Several adaptions of the story were adopted by the Galactic Nations Library as part of the Ashkathi Union section of the greater Galactic Cultures branch. The Verandi Empire sent a Master Librarian of the Zaphnath-Paaneah Library to Larine to document the origins of the story. Category:Ashkathi Union Category:Mass Media